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BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) – Hundreds of people in two Rosebud County communities spent the past week without running water, and relief may be delayed for some residents.

Ed Joiner, disaster and emergency services coordinator for the Northern Cheyenne Indian Tribe, says the water systems in the Birney and Muddy Cluster areas near Lame Deer in southeast Montana have been out of service since at least Jan. 5 and have affected about 600 to 800 people. He says it is not yet clear what caused the systems to fail, but he believes it stemmed from problems with the pumps.

Crews replaced the Birney system pump Tuesday but had to order a pump for the Muddy Cluster area – meaning it could take until the end of the week for those residents to have drinkable water in their homes.

Northern Cheyenne Tribe president Leroy Spang has declared a state of emergency, and officials and volunteers have been delivering bottled water to residents.

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Information from: Billings Gazette,
http://www.billingsgazette.com